Correct weight, non-magnetic, fake as can be...

On a whim, I hit two Buy It Now auctions, a 1903 cull Morgan for $15 and a 1917 cull WLH for a bit under $6. They arrived today.

Here are the auction images:





Images of what I received coming up...

 

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Here's the dollar:




I won't go through the whole "Find The Differences" list, but look at the E and P on the obverse -- it's like they aren't even trying.

 

Here's the half:



Go home, date digits, you're drunk.

 

What gave me pause was that, as the title says, these were both exactly on weight, and completely non-magnetic. They ring at a different pitch from real silver examples, and they look to be maybe 10% or so thicker than legit coins -- hard to notice if you aren't looking, but enough to make up for the lower density of, say, silver-plated copper.

I haven't decided what to do with them. If I open a case saying they're fake, the seller will likely say to send them back at his expense, and I'll get a full refund. The last time I did that, though, the seller (not the same one that sold these) turned around and re-listed the coin, again without saying it was fake.

I also see that this seller moved a 1904-P Morgan "cull" at $15. I just bet that was a super-legit coin.

I got invited into some "eBay Valet" thing a year or two ago, in the wake of a high-value fraud where they demanded I file a police report. It gets me a quick connection to a real person, and it's gotten me some fairly generous make-it-rights when eBay goofed on something. I'm thinking that I'll call them up and see if they can make things happen to this seller before he hits more victims -- I'm guessing a lot of people would look at these, think "wow, that's a lot better than the auction photo!", and go away happy.

Meanwhile, if you see interesting coins at or below melt on eBay, feel free to nab them -- but make sure you look at them before you add them to your stash!

 

I can't imagine the seller is unintentionally doing a bait and switch. The coins you received are laughably fake and also cast. Unfortunately eBay does not consider this fraud, but rather a buying problem and defers to having the buyer file for a return instead of reporting the seller for a policy violation.

 

Look carefully for the P mintmark:

P as in Peking

 

A couple more notes:

These are not a match for the first results from Alibaba and the other Venue Which Shall Not Be Named.

Neither coin has any visible seam on the edge, although the dollar does have an odd "not-quite-rim-bump" at 10 o'clock on the reverse -- it looks like rim damage at first glance, but on closer examination it looks like a folded fin.

 

It's possible that the edge was applied after they were cast, thus no seam. Wouldn't be a first by any means. Also, I'm curious as to what this venue that shalt not be named is

Edit: On closer inspection... both have remnants of a casting sprue in exactly one spot on the rim.

 

Bonus points for using the phrase "casting sprue"

Had to Google that one.

 

The coins you received are not the same ones pictured in the listing!

 

Indeed and is most certainly the greater issue here.

 

The seller thought he was selling, as some on the site usually do, to someone who buys to fill a spot in a book or just won't care and compare items selling to those shipped to the buyer. eBay ? They're looking at their profits and let the two sides fight it out if their is an "issue". Send it back, block them and give negative feedback. The hit will hurt them for a while but write it so all who checks them out knows what they did. The heck with them.

 

All things considered, it seems much more likely the seller was targeting metal buyers as opposed to those with numismatic collecting interests. However, without further evidence all we can do is speculate.

 

And if the seller turns to eBay and says "I gave a cheerful refund and this guy negged me anyway!", there's a good chance eBay will remove the feedback.

In the end, that's what I'll do (except you can't "block" sellers), but I'm going to try talking to humans first and see if we can discourage the seller from trying it again.

 

What a crazy concept....

Kudos, Jeff.

 

You can block anyone you want. I've done it because I don't want them purchasing anything I try to sell.

 

I'd message the seller and tell them you are calling the secret service on them for counterfeiting, and the FBI for interstate distribution of illegal goods. If nothing else, the seller will have a hard time sleeping at night for the next couple weeks.

 

Definitely a bait and switch. The coins in the listing photos are clearly not the same coin as the coins you received. Hope you get your money back.

 

Or maybe they'll laugh knowing full well that absolutely nothing will happen.